ISSN 0377-4910

Vol. 30, No. 5

May, 2000

APPLICATION OF HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT FOR IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF PROCESSED FOODS
Access to good quality, safe and nutritious food is considered a basic right of the people. Consumption of unsafe, contaminated food leads to food-borne diseases which cause considerable morbidity and mortality. In India the diseases transmitted by food are commonly referred to as food poisoning and are characterized by abrupt onset of gastrointestinal disturbances viz. abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. The foods most commonly involved in food-borne disease are meat and meat products, poultry, eggs, milk and milk products, sweetmeats and rice preparations. Besides domestic consumption, more and more food is moving across international borders for a combination of social, economic and technological reasons. The establishment of the World Trade Organization paved the way for several multilateral agreements on trade which include agreements on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures and on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). These agreements encourage countries to adopt international standards. In its pursuance of harmonization the SPS agreement specifically mentions the Codex Alimentarius Standards as the international standard and guideline. Within the context of the TBT agreement, the Codex Alimentarius Commission has been recognized as an international standardizing body. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, a body of 165 member countries, administered jointly by the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the World Health Organization (FAO/ WHO) is committed to protecting the health of the consumers, ensures fair practices in the food trade and facilitates international trade in food. The Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene has recommended a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) based approach as a means to enhance food safety and has indicated how to implement the principles1. The HACCP concept was developed in the 1960s as a system to ensure the safety of food products. The HACCP can be defined as a system which identifies, evaluates and controls hazards which are significant for food safety. Its introduction signaled a shift in emphasis from end product testing to preventive control at all stages of food production. The HACCP system was initially developed for use by food processors for preventing food-borne hazards. However, the application of the HACCP system has been expanding to form a basis for regulated food control and as a standard for international food trade. It is being promoted internationally as a preventive system of hazard control that is considered to be the most effective and efficient way to ensure food safety. It is an action oriented programme to identify and reduce food-borne diseases.

The application of HACCP is compatible with the implementation of quality management systems such as ISO 9000 series and is the system of choice in the management of food safety within such systems. The HACCP system consists of the following seven principles: (i) Conduct a hazard analysis; (ii) Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs); (iii) Establish critical limits; (iv) Establish a system to monitor control of the CCP; (v) Establish the corrective action to be taken when monitoring indicates that a particular CCP is not under control; (vi) Establish procedure for verification to confirm that the HACCP system is working effectively; and (vii) Establish documentation concerning all procedures and records appropriate to these principles and their application. Food Regulation in India and HACCP In India, quality control with regard to food products is being enforced through various regulatory mechanisms like the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA), Agriculture Grading and Marketing (AGMARK), Fruit Products Order (FPO), etc. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recently launched a HACCP certification programme for the food industry. The Mother Dairy of Delhi and the Punjab Cooperative Milk Federation have received HACCP certificates. The Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Agency (APEDA) has helped mango processing units in Andhra Pradesh in implementation of HACCP. While efforts are being made to implement HACCP in the organised sector of the food industry, there is a need to implement HACCP in the unorganised sector also as it accounts for 70-80% of food produced and processed in India. Application of HACCP to Individual Foods Khoa Khoa (partially desiccated milk), a traditional Indian milk product, is used in the preparation of sweets. About 7% of milk produced in India is converted to khoa 2. It is rich in nutrients and has high water activity (0.96) which is conducive for the growth of bacteria3. Studies carried out in different parts of India indicated that khoa is often contaminated with pathogenic organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus4,5 and has been implicated in many food-borne diseases. In order to reduce the microbiological hazard from khoa the HACCP has been applied.

The analysis of samples from raw material to final product at various time points had indicated that (Table I)
Table I. Microbial quality of khoa (cfu/g) at different time points Immediately After 8 after preparation hours Aerobic plate count Staphylococcus Coliforms 5.2 x 102 3.8 x 10 2 1.0 x 102 2.1 x 106 9.5 x 104 2.0 x 103 At the time of sale > 108 5.3 x 106 1.0 x 106

though the microbial quality of Khoa was satisfactory at the time of prouction, it deteriorated by the time it was displayed for sale at the market place [National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad; Unpublished observation]. The Critical Control Point for the deterioration was identified as airtight packaging. Changing the packaging material to muslin cloth which allows free air flow, reduced the microbial proliferation (Table II).
Table II. Microbial profile of khoa (cfu/g) in relation to the packaging material 0 hours Before packing After 24 hours Muslin cloth packing 6.2 x 104 4.4 x 104 Polythene cover and jute bag 3.8 x 106 3.3 x 106

Aerobic plate count

5.3 x 103

Staphylococcus 3.8 x 103

Bacillus and Coliforms were not detected

Paneer Paneer (a coagulated product of milk) is used in the preparation of certain curries and about 5% of the milk produced is converted to paneer6. Paneer may contain as high as 70% moisture which is conducive for microbial growth. Studies carried out on microbial quality of paneer have indicated that it is often contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and Coliforms7,8. The HACCP has been applied to identify the Critical Control Point for Coliforms and Staphylococcus contamination. The analysis of various samples from raw material to the final product had indicated that (Table III) the contamination is due to food handlers using bare hands to remove the excess water in paneer (NIN, Hyderabad; Unpublished observations). The food handlers were informed about the importance of personal hygiene and they were

Table III. Microbial quality(cfu/g) at different stages of paneer production. Sample Milk Citric acid solution Coagulated milk Chilled water Paneer Handwashings of food handler (1) -do(2) ND Not detected Aerobic plate count 1.8 x 107 ND > 107 2.0 x 10 4 6 x 103 > 107 > 107 Coliforms ND ND 7 x 102 ND 3 x 103 2.5 x 103 3.0 x 103

Unpublished observations). The food handlers who grade the fresh mushrooms were carrying Coliforms and were introducing the Coliforms into fresh mushrooms.
Table V. Microbial quality (cfu/g) through the process of mushroom processing Total aerobic plate count Container swab Conveyer belt Handwashings of food handler (1) - do (2) Fresh mushrooms 3 x 103 ND > 104 > 104 1.0 x 104 Staphylococcus Coliforms

ND ND 2.2 x 103 ND ND ND

ND ND > 104 1.5 x 103 5 x 103 ND

Canned mushrooms ND

asked to wash their hands with soap before touching the paneer, and the quality of paneer was tested after the intervention. Results (Table IV) indicated that cleaning of hands with soap before starting the operation drastically reduced Coliform contamination in the final product.
Table IV. Microbial quality (cfu/g) of paneer after intervention (hand washing) Before intervention Total aerobic count Coliforms ND Not detected 6.5 x 106 4.5 x 107 After intervention 1 x 101 ND

ND Not detected

Critical Control Point for fresh mushrooms has been identified as the food handlers personal hygiene and they were informed about the importance of personal hygiene, and a thorough soap wash of the hands after using the toilet has been suggested as the intervention strategy to improve the microbial quality of fresh mushrooms. These case studies carried out on HACCP, indicated that the HACCP can be applied in the unorganized sector of the food industry such as the production of khoa and paneer. Critical Control Points for microbial contamination or proliferation varied depending upon the method of preparation in each case. A unit producing mushroom in the organized sector had mushrooms for export and the domestic market. While the canned mushrooms were free of contamination, the fresh mushrooms for local sale had high Coliform count. In khoa it was the airtight packaging that was responsible for microbial proliferation while the food handlers were responsible in introducing Coliforms in mushroom and paneer. Simple and economical solutions like muslin cloth packing for khoa and thorough hand washing by food handlers before touching the paneer or mushrooms had totally eliminated the problem of microbial contamination. It is obvious that the application of HACCP is possible in the Indian context and would yield the desired results of improving the safety of food. Thus, in the context of globalization and the post WTO era, the Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines on food safety issues

Mushroom Mushrooms are now being cultivated in India and the annual production is about 10,000 tonnes. Many export oriented mushroom producing units have been set up. These units are being encouraged to implement the HACCP programme to improve the safety and quality of mushrooms. A HACCP study was conducted in a 100% export oriented unit producing white button mushrooms. The major reported microbial hazards from mushrooms are Clostridium, Salmonella, Bacillus and Coliforms. After preparing a process flow diagram for a mushroom production unit, samples were collected and analysed at various time points.Results indicated (Table V) that fresh mushrooms had high Coliform contamination while canned mushrooms were absolutely sterile (NIN, Hyderabad;

such as HACCP could be implemented in India. However, adequate education and extension programme on the subject, needs to be undertaken and training programmes organized. References
1. 2. Codex Alimentarious. Food Hygiene Basic Text. Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rome. p 58, 1997. Ranganadhan, M. and Rajorhia, G.S. Low temperature drying of khoa for rural applications. Indian J Dairy Sci 46: 425, 1993. Sawhney, I.K., Patil, G.R., Kumar, B. and Rao, K.J. Evaluation of glycerol as a water activity modifier in khoa. J Food Sci Technol 31: 252, 1994. Gill, J.P.S., Joshi, D.V. and Kwatra, M.S. Qualitative bacteriological survey of milk and milk products with special

reference to Staphylococcus aureus. Indian J Dairy Sci 47: 680, 1994. 5. 6. 7. 8. Mandokhot, V.V. and Garg, S.R. Market quality of khoa, burfi and pera: A critical review. J Food Sci Technol 22:299, 1986. Nayak, S.K. and Bector, B.S. Chemical quality of paneer of Karnal and Delhi markets. Indian J Dairy Sci 51: 233, 1998. Kumar, V. and Sinha, R.N. Incidence of Coliforms in indigenous milk products. Indian J Dairy Sci 42: 579, 1989. Rajorhia, G.S., Dharampal and Arora, K.L. Quality of paneer marketed in Karnal and Delhi. Indian J Dairy Sci 37: 274, 1984.

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This write-up has been contributed by Dr. Ramesh V. Bhat, Dy. Director (Sr.Grade) and Dr. V. Sudershan Rao and Sh. Kashinath Lingerkar, Technical Assistants, Food and Drug Toxicology Research Centre, Hyderabad.

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